Nats back to weasel words on Kiwibank

“Is Steven Joyce planning a leadership coup? Only days after John Key backed down and clarified that Kiwibank will never be sold while he’s Prime Minister, Steven Joyce announced this morning that if he’s going to sell it, he’ll tell you in time for the next election,” says Progressive Wigram MP Jim Anderton says.

“Who’s he going to tell? John Key or the country?”

John Key was forced to rule out a sale of Kiwibank on Friday after more than a week of confusion following finance minister Bill English’s post-budget comments that Kiwibank could be up for sale in time for the next election.

Steven Joyce went head to head with Labour’s Darren Hughes on Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hoskings breakfast show this morning.

When asked about Kiwibank he said that from his point of view “we’ve said we won’t change anything, and if we did we’d go to the country.”

“That might be his point of view, but it contradicts John Key’s latest point of view. Although if you take Mr Key’s ‘point of view’ from five days ago, then you’d have agreement between Mr Joyce’s point of view today and Mr Key’s point then. Of course Bill English has his own point of view. He wants to sell. Then there’s National MP Nathan Guy's point of view - he signed a pledge that he wold never support or initiate the sale of Kiwibank.

“That’s a lot of points of view. Who should we be listening to now?” says Jim Anderton.

“One thing is crystal clear. The National party are not united on this issue. The ‘rat-pack’ want to sell, doesn’t matter what John Key says,” says Jim Anderton.

Steven Joyce also said when pushed further about Kiwibank “the reality is that nothing’s changed; we haven’t even asked for any work to be done, but if we do it’ll be in time for the next election.”

“Who can honestly believe John Key’s promise never to sell Kiwibank now?” says Jim Anderton.

ENDS

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